Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-06-02
thouder to shoulder to fight foy the best country and
che brightest Gag and the q aest government that


che brightest flag and the fiaest government that
yer existed"
But while we thus draw towards each other, while
We forget the bitter past, least the bitterness
and turn eyes TO the brighter and better future,
while we honor the courage, the sacrifice and the
herosm Of those who fougb against while those
who wore the Union blue and Confederate gray may
join In decorating the graves OF the Union and Con-
ederate dead. We are not to forget that there Is no
comparison except for contrast between the causes
for which they severaIy fought. Darkness and light
| are not more opposite Right and wrong are NOS
more antagonstic. The poles are not farther apart
The Lost Cause not bad because II failed nor the
Union Cause right because it succeeded. That they
were sincere that they thought they were right, We
may freely grant. Sincerity does not make right
| wrong "Both" said Mr. Lincoln lin his last in
augural) read the Bible and pray to the same
| God and each invoke his aid against the other" II
may seem strange that any men should dare invoke
sweat Of other faces, but let not judge that
We be not judged. The prayer of both could not be
answered, neither has II been answered fully. With
malice toward none, with charity for all, with firm
ness the right God gives to sec the right, let
| us finish the work we are in to bind up the nations
| wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the
battle, his widow and his orphans, to do all which
may achieves lasting peace both among ourselves
and with all nations. Both parties" he said, "de-
| precated war, but one Of them would make war
rather than let the nation survive, the other would
acrcpwar rather than let IL perish and the war came
The cause Of the union the OF national ex-
istepce of Just government, Of civil liberty, ofhuman
| freedom, of oppressed humanity. II was tho cause
| Of God, the cause OF Christ. Its triumph meant
| broken chains, elevated manhood, restored rights
the right to live of government Of the people, by
the people and for the people, it meant the rindica
tion Of the right and the true, triumph Tor humaL-
y larger hope for the race. The bells that rang In
celebration of victory rang the knel OF the worst des
| pOtism that ever eXisted-AmerCnn Slavery. They
| voiced the gladness Of nation coming out oil Its
fiery baptism, regenerated with life IN its VEINS
| and stain upon its flag They rang out the old
that God had hidden depart forever and rang in the
| new that God had made possible. The sincerity Of
the loyal and confederate soldier, was the same.
| They alike in utter devotion. There was In
each the same supreme spirit Of sacrifice. The
courage and devotion, the will to do or die, the en-
thusas that inspired the soldiers Of the army Of the
union, had their counterpart and equal In the men
they confronted and fought for four bloody years.
And we honor and admire these qualities In friend or
| Toe. We honor courage and heroic endurance, and
deeds of yalor and self-fOrgctting devotion. But
when you consider the in which these qualities
displayed on the ono side and on the other, tho
| difference is infinite. There is many man who
wore the gray that in mans honesty admits 1t now.
| The ground principle of our government 10 the
equality of men in natural and civil rights. I'VE
hold these truths etc" IS the Luggage of our Dec
| laraton Of Independence. The corner stone OF the
Confederacy was boldly ayowed to be slIvery--the
right Of one to own and work and whip aud con-
troll his fellow man, to separate him from his wife
and from his children and to decree that lie should
live In ignorance. 1t was In the interest of this
| system Of human slavery that the Rebellion was
| inaugurated.
with the eternal truth Of God, with the truth Of
| man God mac him and mean him to be, with the
truth Of God moral order aul righteousness the
MON Cause accorded, and harnyn lied, and the Con
federate Cause collided. And 50 by necessity tho
soldier became the champion of the false
Many real christian doubt like Stonewall Jack
asked God, and in all sincerity to succeed what
he the Holy One hated, and TO grant his blessing on
| what no abhOrred. Aud the great loving Father
pited the blindness and ignorance and answered the
| prayer IN his own good time with crushing defeat
| ntl. ham MI liar ret he he
understood il or not, whatever his moral character
| land estimated by moral character no better army
ever marched or fought than the grand army Of the
union, that carried flag thro the storm OF battle
| TO ultimate victory but whatever the character OF
the individual union soldier land it must be sadly
admitted that there were some bad ones) yet by tho
very fact that he union soleicr, he was in a
very important sense Il witness for the truth For
the truth he fought, and the minor guns that thun'
| dered all the fields 81 conflict at Bull Run, at
Malvern Hill. at Shiloh and Nicksburg at Chat.
tanOogA and Atlanta and on the marco to the sea and
at last the Capital of the Rebellion, Numbered
their testimony for the right and tho true and against
the false and the wrong A we rene nlber our
patriot dead, whose graves are In all our Northern
aud National Cemeteries, and whose mortal remains
by Of thousands await the trumpet of resurrec
ton many bloody battle field through the sun
ny south, we cherish the memory of their loyal
Devotion Of their sueringt and sacrifices, rs we lay
the floral tribute of our gratitude and affection on the
graves Of
"ihese brothers of our
| Lying so silent by night and by day
/ Sleeping the years of their manhood away.
| Years they had mark ed for the Joy ofthe brave
! Years they must waste in the sloth ofthe grave
As We think of the thousands that sleep far
away
Sleep whcre their friends cannot md them today
They who mountain and hillside AMI dell
Rest where they wearied, and lie where they fell.
Let remember that their courage AMI sacrifice
the magnificent yalOr and sublime devotion Of "thes,
dead heroes of ours are lifted into grander plane
! Uln hy hat Ilt irh md flr viii
they were manifested, that to them it was given t.
act and to die for interests dear to God aud yaste
than this nation and continent interests that reaci
over the cen nries Of time, and grand as the welfare
Of the race Of msR, Interests that shall endure wheI
the record Of human history il closed, interests o
Immortality. And putting flowers on the graves .
soldier dead will count for little unless our
selves right and true It is to conserve in
tact and unmpared, that hcrtagr which they died t.
maintain. The strength of society an the State,
in the honor and virtue, the muTliness, the mora
rectude the true fear of God and the love and prsc
tee Of righteousness that mark aud adorn the charac
ter and the lives OF the inliyid citizens. Tn
strength and soundnGss Of structure depends in
large measure upon the genunoncss Of the material
OF which it is built. The social system and the bod
polite sound and healthy in proportion the In
a dividual elements that compose them arc right an,
true. II is poor thing to garland the graves Of
fallen heroes with flowers while w live seihshy aut
unworthily. with malice to'rd none, with charit
for all, with hrmness in the right God gives
see the right let us live our lives and do work.
There were those who in the ancient day built mon
# uments to the memory Of the heroes Of Faith, ant
garnished the scpuchers of the righteous, and the
crucifed the Savior Of mankind. Not unlike tina
would it be for us to do honor 10 self-sacrifce
I, then live lives Of selfsecking
i And let MS not forget that cannot be right gu
character cannot be true by the divine standard b.
the divine estimate and measurement IL or lives
lived part and separate from him who said to PLAT
Thou sayest etc. In the sacrifices the soldier mad
a for the flag, for law, authority, government anC
r country, there was an element OF the Redeemer
/ Cross We get gmpsss Of the sublime, of an idea
r exaltstion and nobility of charactar But how tlcs
a. shine out in MONDAY splendor from the cross O
Calvary where 1.-THE Lord Of Glory dies for men
That cross Of sacrifice has drawn all eyes and will
II yet draw all hearts. He came into the world to pu
/. down rebellion on Vaster scale and against q
government than the rebellion inaugurated in '6l
That Is the grand supreme cause to which the
o the Union was but tributary stream. And he call
e to take side. and says HE that is not with
against me-" Let me give you soldiers eXpcrenc,
p Gen Swift OF Boston, in his own words in Bos to-
;. Tabernacle. soldiers words and experience touG
the soldiers heart and true human experience make
| its appeal to all hearts. He said never left N
=, mother in my life, but she said want to live lon
h enough to see you come to your Lord and Savior.
1t was the conclusion Of every separation and tn
o burden Of every letter. ! remember on Occasis
Q and there are those here who remember it, va
ia invited by My fellow citizens to deliver In Tremou
Temple an address upon the Campaign In Mississippi
at the surrender Of Port Hudson. The mayor Of tn
d city presided. The hall was crowded and We
v at the white heat ofpatrOtsm and endcavorin
|. to picture the advance and occupation of VII
III
J. scene was wildly before and when came whel
\, our neA ran up the d1ar old flag on the fagsta
n where for more than two months had been fauntin
n before eyes the standard Of rebellion, the who
= audience went Wild the music struck up and the
rose to their feet surgng and swaying with cheer
N As stood there alone amid this wild Outburst Of Ell
!, thusissm, looked into the left gallery and on
n pale Unconditional face II the face Of my motho
r She WAS q little woman and it seemed AS II coul
| have hold her upon the palm Of my hand. But ST.
a had great faith and love and when met her she sal
81 have given you freely my to the Country br
il IL coald you stand there and talk Tor you
,r Savior, would ask nothing more on earth" An
II when took my stand went home directly to tn
10 mother don't know can get on with thi. PAL
of my story but you will all appreciate the difficult
The stars IN the ky hardly out number the praye
she has offered on my Lehalf and WAS going HON
TIE last in her band Of children resols ed tell he
that her Savior my Savior and her God my 90
We were all there, happy and redeemed family. 81
VI gathered me In her arms as tcndcrly when
" helpless infant. There Is a passage Except ye
i. converted and become little ehildrOn;" etc
know what II Is to feel little child, If my hal
rs are gray with the footballs of time" Thau
st God for such mothers and such men.
At We love to think Of our nations great men wi
belonged to the Kingdom Of The True. We a
% familiar with the noble face Of the Father Of h
so Country, Its first president and the leader of
armies 10 the stern years struggle for Inddpe
dsnce. When the spirit and sentiments of Thomi
W Paine, when French inhdel,ty we're rife both in Il
H. country and in the army the spirit Of fait 10 G.
nj ruled in that noble heart and his voice lifted Go